Lively chatter fills the air as students bustle around during the lunch period, relieved to have a break from their demanding classes early in the morning. At one of the dark green tables outside Manzanita Hall, a group of juniors feasts, each in their own thoughts. One by one, they pull out their phones to see the latest news from the outside world. Noticing that all of his friends are sitting silently, engrossed in their devices, one student decides to introduce some fun into their day. As he takes out a football from his backpack, his friends shift their attention towards him and the ball. Having forgotten about their phones, the group looks at one another and they slowly start nodding their heads. Smiling from ear to ear, they sprint across campus to Davis Field, eager to start a game of football and invigorated by the actions of a single student. When asked about his proudest moment, this is the event Karan Bhasin (12) recalls.

Throughout his life, Karan has created positive impacts on others through meaningful actions. His mother introduced him to the art of cooking from a young age, and he has used the experiences he has gained helping her in the kitchen to make differences in people’s lives.

“My family really values food. My mom teaches cooking classes on foods from around the world, so I grew up being a sous-chef at her cooking camps, and I help out with dinner a lot,” Karan said. “Food is a small, relatively normal thing since everyone eats food everyday, but I learned how a meal can put a smile on someone’s face even though it’s small.”

In addition to cooking, Karan often tries to make his friends laugh by cracking jokes, even though he can be serious when the situation demands it. Karan’s friends acknowledge that he is reliable and that they can depend on him when it matters most.

“Karan’s personality is hard to describe. There’s different sides of him. He can be goofy and make jokes, but he can also be serious depending on what is happening,” longtime friend Jason Hoang (12) said. “He’s become a really close friend who I rely on for almost everything. He is very multifaceted and is a genuinely funny person.”

In order to influence others in a beneficial manner, Karan tries to learn about other people’s perspectives and experiences. After learning French for many years, he started working on the school’s culture magazine, overseen by the French National Honor Society (FNHS), as a medium where others could share their enthusiasm for the language.

“Learning a language that was entirely new to me was a great experience that exposed me to different perspectives. Working on the magazine was a nice way to allow other people to share their own interests in French with the community,” Karan said.

Furthermore, Karan is particularly interested in the way people interact with each other with respect to economics. As someone interested in researching behavioral economics and as a member of the Oeconomia officer team, Karan is able to delve into the reasons behind society’s actions and beliefs.

“The reason I like economics so much is because it explains so much about our world. It helps people avoid being inefficient or being bad decision makers. It also helps me understand people better,” Karan said. “We all have our cognitive biases. We all have preferences that we shouldn’t have and that we should be trying to fix. Economics explain how people interact with each other, which helps me be a better family member and a better friend.”

In sharing his insights with others, Karan is able to form meaningful connections that leave lasting impacts on his peers. His passion for economics is evident in his engaging conversations with his friends.

“[Karan’s] passion for behavioral economics has definitely shaped his interactions with me. A lot of the times we discuss and debate economics or politics, and his insight into behavioral economics during our conversations is often cool to observe,” close friend since freshman year Billy Fan (12) said. “His academic and scholarly achievements are indicative of his passions, since all the research he chooses to do is only because he’s truly interested in those topics.”

Karan approaches all aspects of life with the same mindset, determined to strive above others’ expectations and immerse himself into the activities he loves. Economics teacher Dean Lizardo, who has taught Karan for two years, recounts a time when Karan entered an economics competition and was tasked with making a one minute video for the president of the United States filled with fiscal advice.

“He told me, ‘I really want to say all this stuff, but I know I don’t have enough time to talk about it.’ That demonstrates that he is always trying to do things at a higher level and accomplish things completely without taking shortcuts,” Lizardo said. “He obviously knew his stuff, because a lot of the things he was talking about, we had never even discussed in class. He goes all in on his work. He does more than is expected. He wants to make sure that he does it right.”

Intent on moving forward, Karan remains confident in all his endeavors, placing an emphasis on appreciating the little actions that can still impact one’s life. He stresses the importance of learning from his mistakes instead of being dragged down by them.

“The moments where things go wrong seem really huge at the time, but it’s the everyday small stuff that I end up remembering,” Karan said. “I always try to look forward and not get hung up on events in the past. Even if something seems big in the moment, don’t let that influence you and get you down.”

Karan’s mindset allows him to appreciate all the benefits the world has to offer and use them as inspiration to help others. As he looks toward the future, Karan hopes to keep brightening the days of those around him through his actions, whether big or small.

“I really like making people smile and laugh. I want to be someone who brings some light into their days and make them happy,” Karan said. “When I bring my football to school and I’m able to get people off their phones, it feels nice to know that I’m changing people’s days even if it’s only for a little bit. Those are the moments that really make me proud, because I’m able to make an impact on someone’s life by doing something nice for them.”